Actual Malice Swipe Insight W. Wat Hopkins

The "actual malice" standard was set in motion by Times v. Sullivan, where the rule set forth that public officials could not win damages in libel suits without first proving knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth. The law protected the New York Times from lawsuits by four Montgomery, AL commissioners. The four officials attempted to sue for damages due to an advertisement defending civil rights movements in Alabama and an article charging acts of terrorism against African Americans in Montgomery. The original ruling became the cornerstone for libel law, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction tort laws in the United States.